Poland
| Population | 38.1 m |
| Capital | Warsaw |
| Surface area | 312,700 km2 |
| Official Language | Polish |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) (in euros) | 536 bn |
| GDP as a % of EU-27, based on 2009 data | 2.3 |
| GDP per capita by purchasing power standards (indexed to EU average of 100) | 57.6 |
| Currency | Zloty |
| Human development index (HDI), an index based on life expectancy, education and GDP (max. 1) | 0.870 |
| World rank in HDI | 37/177 |
| Key economic sectors (% of GDP in 2002) | Services (63.9); industry (31.7); agriculture (4.4) |
| Leading Companies | Pekao (bank); PKO bank; Telekomunikacja Polska |
| Unemployment in January 2010 | 8.9% (source: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table) |
| Main religious denominations (numbers in millions) | Roman Catholic (34.16); Polish Orthodox (0.51); Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.13) |
| Political system | Semi-presidential system: The President is elected for a five-year term, and may appoint his/her own cabinet. The President can veto legislation (but not the budget) made by the parliament, to which there are elections every four years. A 100-member Senate also has the power of veto over proposed legislation. |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation for parliament; two-ballot majoritarian system for presidential elections |
| Current (March 2010) leaders | President: Lech Kaczynski (b. 1949), since December 2005 Prime Minister: Donald Tusk (b. 1957), since November 2007 |
| Previous leaders: | Presidents: Aleksander Kwasniewski (1995-2005); Lech Walesa (1990-95) Prime ministers: Jaroslaw Kaczynski (2006-07); Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz (2005-06); Marek Belka (2004-05) |
| Joined the EU/EC | 2004 |
| Commissioner from country in Barroso II College of Commissioners, and portfolio | Janusz Lewandowski (Budget and Financial Programming) |
| Number of MEPs | 51/754 |
| Turnout in 2009 EP elections (%) | 24.5 |
| Member of eurozone | No |
Except where a specific reference is inserted, the sources for this profile are either Neill Nugent’s book itself, or Barry Turner (ed.), The Statesman’s Yearbook Online, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. If your library subscribes, you can gain access at
http://www.statesmansyearbook.com